Worth the Risk
by acciodoxycide
Summary: Sometimes one night can change everything. Sometimes pursuing happiness is worth the fallout. Sometimes one person is worth the risk. - More detailed summary within! -
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **JKR owns everything and everyone recognizable, I just rip them off for my own entertainment. I'm not making any money off of this.

**Warnings: **Slash pairing, fluff, mature content in later chapter(s).

**Summary: **Scorpius and Al have survived their N.E.W.T.s and ridden the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross together for the last time. Now that their Hogwarts education is complete, Al is eager to start a life with Scorpius, but Scorpius is intent on holding onto his father's ever-elusive approval. How long can Scorpius keep Al happy while simultaneously keeping his father's growing suspicions at bay? Not as long as he'd hoped, that's for certain.

**A/N: **I added the above summary because I realized my original summary is pretty cryptic (i.e. useless); so I hope this one gives you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into here. X) This story can be read as a prequel to my other two stories, but definitely doesn't have to be. Mad props go to my amazing beta, lynxzpanther! Thanks for reading, everyone! :D

* * *

_Third week of June, The Last Night of Hogwarts Term, 2024_

It was a beautiful night, indeed. So beautiful, that it was as though Mother Nature were showing off just what she could do when on her best behaviour. The day had been a little too hot, but nightfall had cooled the air to a comfortably warm temperature. The grounds of Hogwarts were serene and picturesque, sprawling out before the ancient castle like an impressionist painting. A light breeze caused the branches of the Whomping Willow to sway gently. The sky above was a velvety black, the Milky Way seeming to extend endlessly across the heavens, its countless stars mirrored on the still surface of the lake below. A falling star dropped away from its fellows occasionally, fading into nothingness at the end of its descent. It was well past Hogwarts curfew, nearly half eleven, but two figures were lying in the grass near the bank of the Black Lake nonetheless.

"Let's run away together," Al whispered into Scorpius's neck, his lips just below his ear.

Al was laying on his side, one arm and one leg draped over Scorpius, who was laying on his back in the cool grass, one arm curled under Al's shoulders, the other underneath his own head.

"Alright," Scorpius indulged his best friend of seven years, and boyfriend of seven months, in an equally soft voice. "Where shall we go?"

"I dunno yet…haven't thought that far. Somewhere far, far away though, where they'll never find us," Al replied, his whisper a little pained now. "…Somewhere where he won't be able to keep you from me."

Scorpius's arm around Al's shoulder tightened, drawing the slightly shorter boy in closer to him. Al's square, black-framed glasses were now flush to Scorpius's neck, but it wasn't uncomfortable. What _was_ uncomfortable was the way his heart was sinking. The _he _Al was referring to was, of course, Scorpius's father.

"Or you could just give in and move in with me," Al continued, suggesting this impossibility for what seemed like the thousandth time.

By now, this line of conversation was as old and as frequently visited as the lake they were lounging on the bank of. Scorpius sighed.

"Al, please. You know I can't." Scorpius's voice was the one that was pained now.

"Tell me again, why not? Oh right, you're afraid if you put a toe out of line before your grandfather snuffs it, he'll disinherit you." Al's voice was bitter. He wasn't angry, he was hurt, and Scorpius knew his emotional, occasionally melodramatic boyfriend well enough to recognize this.

Al rolled over in the grass onto his other side, turning his back to Scorpius. Scorpius just sighed again. By now, he was used to Al's passive-aggressive tantrums. Thankfully, Scorpius had somehow managed to turn out to be a rather grounded, even-keel person, and where Al was concerned, he positively had the patience of a saint. The possible down side of this was that he was also a cautious and practical person; this seemed to drive Al mad, especially facing their current situation. Scorpius turned over onto his side, encircling one arm around Al and pulling him close, spooning him.

"How many times do I have to impress upon you, Albus Severus Potter, that it's got nothing to do with my obvious lust for becoming unspeakably wealthy…" Scorpius intoned in a sardonic whisper into Al's ear, "…and everything to do with the fact that, contrary to popular belief, I, personally, haven't got two Galleons to rub together? There's also the foreboding fact that my father is an arse-and-a-half, and would probably kill me, then himself, upon learning that his only son, and sole heir to the Malfoy line, is not only exceptionally gay, but also dating someone with your particular surname. I mean, he almost had a conniption when he found out we were _friends_. And then there's the fact that your parents are paying for the flat in London you keep so selflessly inviting me to live in with you. Just a guess, but I can't see them being too thrilled to discover that someone with _my_ particular surname is shacked up with their son in what, for all legal intents and purposes, will be _their _flat."

Scorpius could only hope he had somehow proven his point this time. Al had heard him say all of this before and it was growing rather tiresome to repeat, truth be told; mostly because it was so very adorable that Al wanted to live with him so badly, and Scorpius didn't think he could stand having to pragmatically reject Al one more time without starting to hate himself. Alas, it didn't seem like Al was going to give up quite that easily…

"My parents don't care what your surname is," Al countered back, but he didn't sound bitter any longer, "and you know they already know about us, and they're fine with it."

That Al's parents knew about their relationship was fact, thanks to James's big mouth, and Al's inherent inability to tell a convincing lie. Surprisingly, though, Al confessing his sexuality _and_ his choice of love interest to his parents in one fell swoop had not brought the world to a screeching halt, like he had imagined it would; just like his being sorted into Slytherin and befriending Scorpius Malfoy in one fell swoop had not caused his parents to place him up for adoption, as he had imagined it would some seven years ago.

"_And your parents are going to have to find out sooner or later, too."_ Al wanted to say to Scorpius, but didn't. He wasn't angry with Scorpius, if he was honest with himself, and he certainly wasn't trying to add to his distress by rubbing in the rather miserable fact that one day Draco Malfoy would inevitably have to learn of their relationship.

"Al, honestly, babe. Tolerating something and being fine with something are two entirely different propositions. Your parents were _fine_ with us being friends, and they _tolerate_ us being together. However, being fine with our friendship and tolerating our relationship are both a far cry from providing us a flat in which to cohabitate." Al was wildly idealistic, in Scorpius's opinion. He usually found this trait refreshing and endearing, but occasionally, he just found it exasperating.

"I know," Al whispered sadly after a short pause, flipping over to face Scorpius in the grass. "And I'm sorry for the jibe about your grandfather…. It's just that I feel so terribly sad every time I think that tonight is going to be the last night I get to go to sleep next to you; tomorrow morning the last morning that you're the first person I see when I wake up." The combination of the dejection in Al's voice, the worry in his stunning eyes, and the moonlight causing his hair to shine deep auburn, were enough to make Scorpius's heart break a little.

"Well, _don't_ feel terribly sad, love, because it _won't_ be the last time. You've got another thing coming if you think I'm not clever enough to sneak in and out of the manor." Scorpius leaned his forehead against Al's and looked into his eyes. "And Al?"

"Hmm?"

"No one will _ever_ be able to keep me away from you. I promise."

* * *

**Reviews=Love!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **JKR owns everything and everyone recognizable, I just rip them off for my own entertainment. I'm not making any money off of this.

**Warnings: **Slash pairing, fluff, mature content in later chapter(s).

**Summary: **Scorpius and Al have survived their N.E.W.T.s and ridden the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross together for the last time. Now that their Hogwarts education is complete, Al is eager to start a life with Scorpius, but Scorpius is intent on holding onto his father's ever-elusive approval. How long can Scorpius keep Al happy while simultaneously keeping his father's growing suspicions at bay? Not as long as he'd hoped, that's for certain.

**A/N: **I added the above summary because I realized my original summary is pretty cryptic (i.e. useless); so I hope this one gives you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into here. X) This story can be read as a prequel to my other two stories, but definitely doesn't have to be. Mad props go to my amazing beta, lynxzpanther! Thanks for reading, everyone! :D

* * *

_Friday Evening, Last Week of November, 2024_

_Scorpius's Point of View_

Scorpius pushed open the heavy door of Malfoy Manor and walked out into its perfectly manicured grounds. He shivered slightly in his black Muggle pea coat; the late November night was brisk, and the air smelled of autumn. He checked his watch and quickened his pace a little. It was only three minutes until the time they had planned to meet, and he wanted to be waiting outside the gates for Al when he arrived.

"_He'll probably be late, anyway," _Scorpius thought to himself, smiling a little as he walked down the long drive. Al was a little too characteristically haphazard for consistent punctuality. Scorpius didn't really mind though; he had somehow found himself in love with all of Albus Potter's many quirks.

After Scorpius mused about Al's time management skills (or lack thereof) for a short moment, his mind inadvertently switched gears to its other favourite pondering of late: his father. Since he had left Hogwarts and moved back into Malfoy Manor, Scorpius's thoughts seemed to come in two opposing veins: happy, sentimental, and/or longing thoughts of Al or distressing, angry, and/or befuddled thoughts of his father. To be sure, his father was becoming more and more insufferable as the months dragged on; and Scorpius was fairly certain that this was due to his growing suspicions regarding the nature of his son's relationship with "that Potter boy". Indeed, anytime he returned to the manor after an evening out with Al, the leading questions followed by awkward silences were almost too much to bear. Scorpius gave a cynical smirk as his brain registered the fact that this was the first time his father had taken such an interest in him in years. The idea of his father paying attention to him was probably as disconcerting to Scorpius as was his father's new inclination towards setting restrictive rules for him to abide by, despite the fact that he was of age. Tonight, for instance, he had been informed that he was to be home by eleven p.m. Questioning his father's logic or reasoning wasn't really something that he had ever been permitted to do; but he had a pretty good idea as to the nature of his father's motives. He assumed one of said motives was that Draco did not want his son "fraternizing" with anyone "unsavoury" (namely, said son's best friend from Hogwarts, the dreaded Potter), and that another was control; that is, if he was living under Draco's roof, he had to obey his wishes. Scorpius rolled his eyes to himself and shook his head a little at the thought. His father really was a miserable arse, and years and years of being "corrupted" by the Potters (rather, being allowed to see how a loving, functional family operates) had made him uncomfortably aware of this. And yet, for reasons truly unbeknownst to him, he definitely cared what his father thought of him. Al often said that he cared too much about his father's opinion, but Al didn't understand what it was like to constantly seek attention and approval from his father, and be made to feel inadequate time and time again. Consequently, Scorpius avoided the subject of his father with Al; not only was it hard for him to open up about it, but the subject had also been known to cause arguments between them. Al wanted things from him that his family circumstances made it impossible for him to give, and Scorpius regretted this more than anything. If he ever lost Al, he didn't know how he would cope. He would probably never forgive himself, and he would definitely never forgive his father. Scorpius was vaguely aware that eventually it would probably become necessary to choose between the life he wanted to live, and the life his father wanted him to live, but in the mean time he was doing all he could to keep that decision somewhere off in the future. His father inevitably wouldn't like his choice, and that would mean losing him altogether.

Mercifully, Scorpius didn't have to spend very much time at the manor. Healer training had him at St. Mungo's Teaching Hospital- a facility which was located adjacent to the closed department store that was St. Mungo's in London, and appeared to be a large restaurant that had been shut down for health code violations to passing Muggles- Monday through Friday, and the vast majority of his time outside of school was devoted to studying. However, there were also three saving graces that made his time spent mingling with the other inhabitants of Malfoy Manor somewhat tolerable. One of them was that his grandfather, Lucius, was starting to forget people's names. When his grandfather had been mentally fit, it had been difficult to stomach being in the same room as him. However, since his mental decline, Lucius's terrifying lectures about how he, Scorpius, should be actively seeking out a pure-blooded witch to marry, and needed to begin thinking about spawning an heir, had become less frequent, easier to tune-out, and altogether not quite as nightmarish to endure. The second redeeming quality about life at Malfoy Manor was that his grandmother, Narcissa, wasn't really all that disagreeable. Actually, she could even be decent company, if one caught her in the right mood. Scorpius had never dared to talk politics with her, to err on the side of caution, but she certainly wasn't anywhere near as bad as her husband and son. Lastly, and most significantly, Scorpius felt he would truly go insane were it not for his mother. Astoria Malfoy was practically a saint in her son's eyes. In fact, he had long been convinced that her biggest flaw was her choice in a husband. Although his mother had always insisted that her marriage to his father had not been arranged, Scorpius knew blood status had had a lot to do with it, and he had often wondered just how much say his mother had been allowed in the decision. Questioning this made Scorpius feel rather bad for his mother, though he couldn't really bring himself to feel too terrible. After all, whether she had truly wanted to marry his father or not, if she hadn't done so, he wouldn't exist. He just hoped his mother had found contentment and happiness with her life, either way.

Now that he thought about it, Scorpius had only ever felt that he was truly loved and appreciated for simply being the person that he was by two people: Al, and his mother. During his childhood, while his father had been consumed with his career at the Ministry, attempting to sponge away the shame that had been brought to the Malfoy name during the Second War, it had been Scorpius's mother who had kissed (and then magically mended) his scraped knees, sang him to sleep, and allowed him to paint "murals" on his bedroom walls at the age of six (no matter how much her father-in-law would scoff); she had also taught her son from an early age to appreciate people for who they were, not for their blood status or for what they could do for him. During his Hogwarts years, it had been Scorpius's mother who had promised him that no one in his family would have anything negative to say about it (so help her Merlin) if he wasn't sorted into Slytherin; his mother who had been genuinely delighted to hear that her son had a new best friend, and didn't give it a moment's pause when she learned who this new best friend was. She had even coerced his father into allowing him to visit Al at least once every summer while they had been in school. A month ago, it had been Scorpius's mother who had come into his room one night and told him that she knew he was in love with Albus Potter; that for her, it didn't change a thing, but that because she knew it would potentially change everything for the other members of their family, she wouldn't tell a soul.

All of this pondering about his family had taken Scorpius down the drive, and had brought him right up to the gates that separated the drive from the narrow lane that lay beyond the manor's grounds. Scorpius walked through the gates without opening them, as he was one of the select individuals they were enchanted to allow seamless passage to. He checked his watch again. He had a minute to spare until Al had said he would be there, but he wondered how long he would really have to wait. Scorpius situated himself next to the high yew hedge that enclosed the grounds of Malfoy Manor, and attempted to look composed and collected. In reality, though, he was feeling the light, excited butterflies in his stomach that always seemed to plague him whenever he was anticipating seeing Al. It was so silly, he told himself, getting the jitters before seeing someone with whom he had been intimately acquainted for over seven years, but lately, especially when he hadn't spent time alone with Al for a while, he found himself becoming exceptionally excited and just a tad nervous when he knew Al would shortly be Apparating to his side.

Suddenly, with a _pop_, and not a second behind schedule, there he was. Al Apparated to Scorpius's direct right, his hair looking slightly more windswept than normal. He took a second to find his balance before looking up into Scorpius's face, and smiling the most heart-wrenchingly, breathtakingly _gorgeous_, _adorable_ beaming smile imaginable. Indeed, gorgeous and adorable were the only two adjectives Scorpius could think of to describe his boyfriend, at least from a physical standpoint. As Al stood next to him in his cuffed up, slightly distressed denim trousers, green high top canvas trainers, vintage Weird Sisters t-shirt, and black cardigan, his bright green eyes as astonishing as ever beneath his glasses, and his freckles perfectly dappled from cheek to cheek, Scorpius thought his utter cuteness could put even the fluffiest baby Pygmy Puff to shame. Merlin, how he adored every inch of Al, every sable hair on his head, every freckle on his face; could it really be true that he was all _his_ to adore this way? Scorpius found himself wondering (as he did from time to time) why Al had chosen _him_: sarcastic, emotionally guarded, careful, and slightly neurotic Scorpius, son of probably the most pathetic Death Eater involved in the Second War. Why, in Merlin's name, had unspeakably sweet, spontaneous, shy yet expressive Al, son of the beloved hero of the Second War, chosen him? Why had he sat in his compartment on their first train ride to Hogwarts? Why had he befriended him so effortlessly and unquestioningly? Why had he just as effortlessly and unquestioningly given him his heart? The truth of the matter was, Scorpius had no idea; but he vowed to never, ever let Al regret it, not even for a moment.

Scorpius inclined his head, gesturing down the lane that lead away from the looming manor house in the background. The two of them needed to get out of sight of the manor's many windows as quickly as humanly possible, because Scorpius didn't trust himself to be able to keep his hands off Al for too much longer. The couple walked in comfortable, slightly expectant silence for a couple of minutes that seemed to drag on for an eternity, before looking over their shoulders in unison to check if they were yet concealed by the night. The instant they discovered they were no longer in any danger of being observed, the two were drawn together as though suddenly magnetized. Scorpius placed one hand on the back of Al's head, threading his fingers through unruly jet black hair, and the other hand on the small of Al's back. He pulled the shorter boy into his shoulder in a possessive embrace, holding him tightly and kissing his temple. Scorpius felt in danger of being overcome by everything that was Al: the softness of his hair, the warm weight of his body, the way that he fit just perfectly into his arms. Scorpius felt Al wrap his arms around his middle and hug him so tightly; it was almost difficult to draw breath. This was inconsequential; he still didn't want Al to ever let him go. Scorpius wished he could bottle up this feeling, like some kind of coveted true love potion, and save it for the next time he was alone and longing for Al's touch, his scent, his mere presence; but Scorpius knew this was impossible, even for someone such as himself who had been top of his class in Potions all seven years at Hogwarts. No, being near to Al was the only way for him to accomplish this specific feeling of delightful intoxication, and Scorpius knew nothing and no one could ever hope to inspire in him an emotion stronger or more sublime. The knowledge of this was nearly as frightening to Scorpius as it was glorious, but he was absolutely certain that he had been in far too deep for far too long to do anything about it, even if he had wanted to. Yes, there had always been something about Al, something intangible, vital and inescapable that Scorpius knew he could never live happily, if at all, without.

Al stood on half tiptoe and nuzzled into Scorpius's neck, tickling him slightly as he whispered, "I've missed you so badly it hurts."

Al sounded so loving and sincere, that it made Scorpius never want to let him out of his arms. He held him tightly as he whispered back the first honest reply that came into his head, "If it's been hurting you, then it's been killing me."

* * *

**Reviews=Love!**


	3. Chapter 2 and One Half

**Disclaimer: **JKR owns everything and everyone recognizable, I just rip them off for my own entertainment. I'm not making any money off of this.

**Warnings: **Slash pairing, fluff, mature content in later chapter(s).

**Summary: **Scorpius and Al have survived their N.E.W.T.s and ridden the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross together for the last time. Now that their Hogwarts education is complete, Al is eager to start a life with Scorpius, but Scorpius is intent on holding onto his father's ever-elusive approval. How long can Scorpius keep Al happy while simultaneously keeping his father's growing suspicions at bay? Not as long as he'd hoped, that's for certain.

**A/N: **I added the above summary because I realized my original summary is pretty cryptic (i.e. useless); so I hope this one gives you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into here. X) This story can be read as a prequel to my other two stories, but definitely doesn't have to be. Mad props go to my amazing beta, lynxzpanther! Thanks for reading, everyone! :D

* * *

_Friday Evening,_ _Last Week of November, 2024_

_Al's Point of View_

It was Friday, quite possibly Al's favourite day of the week. It was the only weekday that he didn't have Healer Training (he had gotten rather lucky with his class schedule), and this left him free today to lie-in in the morning, catch up on some homework, do a load of laundry, and go to Gringotts to exchange a few Galleons for Muggle money. It was necessary because he and Scorpius would be going into Muggle London for dinner tonight. It was too much for them to risk going to Hogsmead or Diagon Alley, as an over-zealous reporter might spot them dining together and make a feature out of it for tomorrow's edition of _The Prophet_. As much as Al hated it, being Harry Potter's son (and so unmistakably so) meant that he could still attract media attention, and there was no doubt that a sighting of him hand in hand with the heir to the Malfoy fortune would certainly make the paper. Personally, he would be fine with the entire Wizarding world finding out about their relationship, but Scorpius definitely did not share his sentiments. For his part, Al was tired of hiding, sick of secrets, and starting to seriously worry that Scorpius was _ashamed_ of their relationship, maybe even of him. His worries were only augmented by the fact that Scorpius hated discussing the matter with him, leaving him to draw his own conclusions as to what Scorpius's feeling must be. Al forced himself not to dwell on these thoughts (doing so had been known to ruin his mood for an entire day) as he returned to his flat from Diagon Alley to get ready for the night.

Al lived alone in a modest studio flat in London, close to St. Mungo's. He knew people must have wondered why his famous and (unassumingly, but known to be) wealthy parents hadn't provided their son with finer, or at the very least larger, accommodations. The truth behind this was, Al had insisted on _this_ flat, with its two windows that overlooked a lovely Muggle park. He didn't need much space and he enjoyed the cosiness of the single room, with his twin mattress on the floor, Slytherin banner, poster of the Holyhead Harpies, and photos of his family and Scorpius Spello-taped to the walls. Al, in all his (very un-Slytherin) altruism, had also not wanted to take advantage of his parents' generosity, as they were paying for a flat for him, when he could have easily moved into Grimmauld Place with James (and been driven mental) or just stayed living with his parents in Godric's Hollow.

Al opened his small wardrobe, which was built into the wall next to his bed, and considered his options. Basically all of his clothes were exceptionally casual, except for one sole pair of dress robes that hung gathering dust in the very back of the wardrobe. After scrutinising his clothes for a moment, Al found himself mentally comparing them to the outfits Scorpius typically wore. He suddenly wondered if he dressed himself like a four-year-old who had been given no prior guidance. Hanging before him were four pairs of denims, about two-dozen odd t-shirts, and a handful of jumpers (three of which his grandmum had hand knitted, automatically disqualifying them from consideration), all showing varying amounts wear and tear. He pulled down his favourite pair of jeans, the ones that made Scorpius (not so) furtively stare at his arse every time he wore them, and proceeded to riffle through his numerous tees. After some careful consideration, he decided on his Weird Sisters shirt, the one that had been handed down to him from Teddy years and years ago. He liked the way it fit: tight, but not clingy. Next he selected a plain black cardigan to go over his t-shirt, as there was a chill in the air today, and perhaps it would dress up the outfit. Al thought this was being seriously optimistic, but he supposed it was better than nothing. Al now looked down at his shoes, the only ones he ever wore, really: green canvas high tops that were starting to tear along one side. He sincerely hoped Scorpius didn't want to go anywhere particularly fancy tonight, because when all was said and done, he would probably look about five steps up from homeless. Perhaps he was being a little hard on himself, and perhaps Scorpius _hadn't_ been lying when he told him his style was "trendy" and endearing. Still, that assessment seemed rather far-fetched coming from someone who consistently looked as though he belonged in a fashion magazine. It was undoubtedly true; Al's sense of dress was as polar opposite to that of his boyfriend as was the colour of his hair.

Al threw all of the clothes he intended to wear onto his bed and undressed. He didn't really need a shower, but he figured that if he couldn't _look_ exceptionally good tonight, at least he could _smell_ exceptionally good tonight. Five minutes and a thorough sudsing and shampooing later, Al towelled off and stood in front of his bathroom mirror. The first thing he did (after his body was dry) was comb his hair while it was still dripping wet. He had a notion that if he could get to it before it dried, then maybe, just maybe, it would lie flat. This theory had proven before to be utter rubbish, but that didn't stop Al from placing a small amount of faith in it. After his hair had been successfully flattened (for now), Al brushed his teeth and squinted at himself in the mirror. Upon straightening up from rinsing his mouth under the tap, he replaced his square, black frames on the bridge of his nose. Now that he could see properly again, Al considered his reflection. His hair was drying and was already beginning to look tousled. Al's hair thoroughly annoyed him at times, especially at times like this, when he didn't fancy looking as though he had just finished playing Quidditch inside a tornado. He sighed, knowing it was no use getting upset over, and looked into his own eyes in the mirror. They were hands down his favourite aspect of his appearance: his dad's eyes, his Grandmother Lily's eyes. They were rather spectacular, even under his lenses, if he did say so himself. And then there were his freckles, the one physical trait he had inherited from his mother, well, aside from the way his hair shone auburn in certain lighting, but he wasn't sure that counted. Al had made peace with his freckles only recently, and he suspected this had a lot to do with the fact that Scorpius told him they were _so cute_ at least once a week.

Al attempted to flatten his rapidly drying hair with his hand, knowing it would do no good, and picked up his watch where it lay on the bathroom counter. He was, for maybe the first time in his life, running ahead of schedule. He had a whole twenty minutes left before he was supposed to meet Scorpius outside the grounds of Malfoy Manor, and all he had left to do was get dressed. Al felt the familiar fluttering sensation in his stomach that, only as of late, foreshadowed him seeing Scorpius. He found himself wishing that he had budgeted his time a little more poorly, like usual. If he had allotted about seven minutes to get ready, like he normally did, he would have been rushing around searching for clean pants while hastily pulling on his tee; so, he would have been distracted from his anxious excitement. Al had noticed since leaving Hogwarts that his stomach had taken up the habit of tying itself into pleasurable little knots before it knew he was about to be spending time with Scorpius. He had never felt nervous and giddy with anticipation before seeing Scorpius while they had been in school, but Al guessed that this was probably because he had been able to spend nearly all of his waking (and sometimes sleeping) hours with Scorpius at Hogwarts. His boyfriend was something of a novelty now. Al didn't get to spend nearly as much time with Scorpius as he would have liked. Neither he nor Scorpius were to blame for this, per say, as they were both incredibly busy with training, schoolwork, and family engagements; but Merlin, he missed Scorpius; he missed everything about him every single second that they weren't together. Sometimes this made Al all the more excited for the next time he would get to see Scorpius, other times it made him sad, sitting alone in his little flat staring at pictures of them together, pining, and still other times it made him feel slightly mental, like he would love nothing more than to infiltrate Malfoy Manor and kidnap its youngest inhabitant in the middle of the night. This past week, he had been possessed by the latter emotion with increasing severity. On Wednesday afternoon, during Beginning Bone Mending Techniques (the one class he had with Scorpius), the two of them had spent the entire lecture making as much nonchalant physical contact as possible from their neighbouring seats. It had been everything Al could do not to abduct Scorpius after the lesson ended and hold him hostage in his flat until he agreed to move in with him. Al understood, to a point, why Scorpius was so resistant to the idea of them living together, but that didn't mean he had to accept it. He knew he was probably being selfish, but his intentions were not entirely impure. Scorpius wasn't happy living at the manor, Al knew it, and living with him would make him happy, wouldn't it? At least, Scorpius usually seemed very happy when the two of them were together. What did Scorpius want out of life if not happiness? Wasn't that supposed to be the most important thing in the end, the culmination of what life was all about? Al couldn't figure out how his boyfriend's calculating mind worked, or what the real motives were behind his decisions. Sure, breaking the news of their relationship to his (idiot of a) father would be difficult at best, but would it not be worth it in the end?

At this thought, a devilish and familiar little voice piped up inside Al's head to answer his question, _"Maybe Scorpius just doesn't think _you_ would be worth it in the end, Al."_

"_Well, if that's the case, then I do wish he would get on with it and tell me, so I can begin preparing myself for a lifetime of misery," _Al argued back with the little voice insistently, swiping it away. _"Because all of this guesswork is making me go nutters, obviously, since I'm holding mental conversations with myself."_

Al was feeling more than a little ill at ease now. The butterflies in his stomach were wilting away and being replaced by a rather uncomfortable, nauseous feeling. Al was finished dressing, so he looked up at the clock on the wall- still ten minutes to go. He decided that he needed to somehow force himself to feel more cheerful before he left to meet Scorpius, so he sat down on his bed and did what he always did whenever he needed to feel better: he looked up at the pictures on his wall. The portion of the wall directly above his pillow was dedicated almost solely to photos of either Scorpius alone, or himself and Scorpius together. In spite of himself, Al studied each picture that had been taken since he and Scorpius had started dating, checking for possible signs that the blond was less than thrilled at being photographed with him; but, of course, he saw only what he had always seen in these photographs: Scorpius with either his lips planted somewhere on Al's face or smiling like he was over the moon. Al couldn't help but smile back at the photographic Scorpius. He felt better, but not totally convinced. He looked up at the clock again. There were just five minutes left until he needed to leave, and his happy butterflies were returning. Al got up off his bed and walked around his flat, tidying it up a little. He put one of his school books back in its place on the wooden shelf in the corner, tossed a couple of dirty socks into the basket, and pulled his sheets and blanket up over his pillow. There was a chance that if he was lucky, he would get to bring Scorpius back here tonight after dinner (that is, if he didn't have to be back to the manor by some ridiculously early hour) and Al wanted his place to be presentable. After he was done placing a stray juice glass into the sink, he put on his shoes and jumper and walked over to stand in front of the full-length mirror that was hung on the back of his bathroom door. Al ran a hand over his messy black hair one last time before deeming himself presentable enough. He then grabbed the Muggle money he had gotten from Gringotts earlier out of the pocket of his other jeans, shoved it down into the pocket of his current denim trousers, and Disapparated.

Being relatively new to Apparition, Al took a moment to find his footing upon appearing just outside the gates of Malfoy Manor. Once his equilibrium had properly readjusted itself, he became aware that Scorpius was standing a few feet away from him.

"_Why is he always early and waiting for me? I was even on time tonight!" _Al thought vaguely, his mind far away. He felt his face splitting into an embarrassingly star-struck grin when he looked up into Scorpius's eyes.

Al couldn't really blame himself for feeling a little dazed. Scorpius overwhelmed him. He was just so…_handsome._ In many ways, his appearance corresponded with his persona; Scorpius, with his impossibly blond hair that lay impossibly smooth framing his features, intent grey eyes, finely boned face, and willowy frame, was clearly aristocratic, yet his dazzlingly candid smile made it plain that he was nonetheless unpretentious. The way he presented himself was telling as well. Tonight, for instance, he stood beside Al wearing a grey and black argyle patterned v-neck jumper over a plain black button down. He had left his dress shirt un-tucked from his slim-fitting, dark wash jeans to dress down the look. He also wore a simple black wool coat and (probably quite expensive) black leather shoes. His style, like his personality, was practical, almost unassuming, yet still suggested an air of refined classiness, and perhaps even subtle superiority. Everything about Scorpius's demeanour was a paradox; he was friendly and approachable, yet studious and a little reserved; he was genuinely funny, yet in a witty, dry way that often made people question whether his humour had been intentional; he could be snarky and cool one moment, then enthusiastically friendly the next; he was heedful and sensible, but would occasionally take bold risks if the situation was dire, or simply to prove a point. He was an enigma, he was perfection, and Al loved _everything _about him.

Potter or not, Al thought Scorpius was definitely out of his league. This was especially true considering that he was the average Potter progeny. James had gotten all the looks, and Lily all the personality. Actually, come to think of it, James had bravado to spare, and Lily, at nearly sixteen, had (worryingly) metamorphosed into quite the heartbreaker, too. It was distinctly unfair that he was the same height as his (admittedly rather tall) little sister, a good foot shorter than James, scrawny, shy, hypersensitive, and awkward. Merlin's pants, what did brilliant, elite, stunningly attractive, charming Scorpius see in him? The truth of the matter was, Al had no idea; but it was undeniable that he was utterly in love, and nothing was about to change that.

Al's attraction to Scorpius had always been inexorable, their chemistry incongruous yet unyielding; things had forever been this way between them, and Al hoped with everything he had that they would continue to be forevermore. He couldn't imagine his life any other way, and didn't want to imagine it any other way, come to that. He knew that he and Scorpius were uncommonly matched; everything about the two of them suited the other perfectly, and had since the day they first met. They had similar interests and enough in common to facilitate their getting along harmoniously, yet numerous differences that worked to balance each other out perfectly and keep their relationship dynamic. Al knew these factors were important, but he had also always felt that there was something deeper to their connection than simply being two people who got on together spectacularly. No, Al truly believed that some yet undiscovered magical force within the universe had carefully crafted himself and Scorpius with the other in mind, and that because of this, one could never really live without the other. Al just hoped, and desperately so, that Scorpius felt this strange connection, too.

Scorpius tilted his head a little, motioning for Al to walk with him down the lane, and out of sight of the manor. Al was glad of this, because he wasn't sure that he could resist throwing himself at Scorpius if they remained standing where they were for too much longer. They walked silently down the lane for a time that seemed to last forever, side-by-side. Their hands seemed to want to hold one another, because their pinkies kept brushing together every few paces, but their owner's denied them their impulse for the time being. Finally, Al thought they surely must have walked far enough, and he craned his neck over his shoulder to check if they would now be invisible to anyone who might be peering out of a third-story window of Malfoy Manor. Thankfully, both he and Scorpius came to the conclusion that they were well out of sight of the imposing manor at the same instant, and Al found himself being pulled slightly upward into a tight, covetous embrace. Al returned the gesture instantly, snaking his hands inside Scorpius's coat. He hugged Scorpius so tightly that he thought he felt his breath hitch a little, so he relaxed his grip somewhat in order to avoid asphyxiating his boyfriend with affection.

Al buried his face into the side of Scorpius's neck and breathed him in. Al was feeling befuddled again as Scorpius's intoxicating scent threatened to unhinge him in the most glorious way possible. To anyone else, Scorpius might smell obscurely of almond shampoo, clean linen, expensive, imported cologne and perhaps some other unnameable aromas, but to Al, he just smelled like _Scorpius. His_ Scorpius; who's particular scent was strongly tied to a host of life shaping, intrinsically complex, and stunningly exquisite memories within the depths of Al's brain. Al felt utterly secure and content in that moment, in Scorpius's arms, their bodies pressed so tightly together that it was as though they were trying to merge into one being. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't quite fathom how to put into words the way he had been feeling this last week, when he had been missing Scorpius so terribly; or how he was feeling now that they were finally alone together, holding one another as though they would never let go. He decided to simply open his mouth and let the words form themselves.

"I've missed you so badly it hurts," he stated simply in a soft whisper. He hadn't meant to sound so desperate, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. He had positively ached for Scorpius every moment that they had been apart, and he guessed that some subconscious part of him now wanted more than anything to force Scorpius to understand this, wanted to make him see that they should never oblige themselves to miss each other again.

"If it's been hurting you, then it's been killing me," Scorpius whispered back into Al's ear. His voice held no hint of sarcasm and not an ounce of insincerity. His nakedly honest and sombrely pensive statement nearly caused Al to feel taken aback. Perhaps Scorpius understood how he was feeling more than he had recognized.

* * *

**I appreciate reviews a whole bunch. No pressure, but if you feel at all inclined, please don't be shy. :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **JKR owns everything and everyone recognizable, I just rip them off for my own entertainment. I'm not making any money off of this.

**Warnings: **Slash pairing, fluff, mature content in this chapter...You have been warned! ;)

**Summary: **Scorpius and Al have survived their N.E.W.T.s and ridden the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross together for the last time. Now that their Hogwarts education is complete, Al is eager to start a life with Scorpius, but Scorpius is intent on holding onto his father's ever-elusive approval. How long can Scorpius keep Al happy while simultaneously keeping his father's growing suspicions at bay? Not as long as he'd hoped, that's for certain.

**A/N: **I added the above summary because I realized my original summary is pretty cryptic (i.e. useless); so I hope this one gives you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into here. X) This story can be read as a prequel to my other two stories, but definitely doesn't have to be. Mad props go to my amazing beta, lynxzpanther! Thanks for reading, everyone! :D

* * *

_Three Hours Later_

Al and Scorpius had rather indulged themselves tonight. They had eaten at a quaint little Italian restaurant that was located conveniently near to Al's flat. They had drawn out their meal, ordering drinks and then sharing an appetizer before their entrees were brought out. After dinner, they decided to walk down the street to an equally quaint little ice cream parlour. It wasn't really typical weather in which to enjoy ice cream, but it had sounded good to both of them nonetheless. They shared a sundae, sitting less than six inches away from one another on high stools around a small, circular table inside the cute little parlour. The two had bickered teasingly over who would get to eat the cherry, until Al eventually bit it in half and fed the remainder to Scorpius. At this gesture, the teenage Muggle girl who was working behind the counter smiled sappily in their direction, obviously finding their overt flirtation more than a little adorable.

When they finally left the ice cream parlour, they were both very full indeed. Al's flat was around four blocks away, and Scorpius offered to see him home, claiming that he needed to walk off some of the food he had just consumed before he could possibly hope to Apparate more than a few feet. In reality, however, Scorpius was probably just looking for an excuse to hold Al's hand for another several minutes. He wasn't ready for this night to be over just yet, and especially not when he still had over half an hour until he needed to be back at the manor.

When Al and Scorpius reached the outside door to Al's block of flats, the couple turned to one another and kissed with obvious deep-seated affection, holding each other's hands at their sides.

After their lips parted, Al said, "I had a really, really great time tonight, love." It was a very generic statement to make after a good date, but the way Al had said it, in his sweet voice, with his forehead leaning against Scorpius's and the tips of their noses touching, had made it intimate.

"So did I," Scorpius conceded, pulling back from Al a little to look into his eyes. "Tonight was totally brilliant; and thank you for dinner, too, by the way. I'm definitely paying next time, though."

"No, don't mention it, honestly." Al smiled fondly at Scorpius, who leaned in to give him another kiss, this one becoming slightly more fervent than the last had been.

When they broke apart once more, Scorpius happened to look down at the pavement between them. "Your shoe's untied," he informed Al helpfully, noticing this.

Al made a small production of turning around unnecessarily and bending over at the waist in a suggestive sort of way. "Lucky you," he murmured to the ground, just loud enough for Scorpius to hear him.

Scorpius's eyes widened as he took in the alluring sight before him. Al's arse was truly most delightful to behold. Al chuckled as he straightened up and caught the look on his boyfriend's face. Scorpius flushed almost imperceptibly and put on a guilty little smile.

"Like what you see?" Al asked coyly, returning Scorpius's smile and keeping his bright eyes wide with feigned innocence, just the way he knew made Scorpius go to pieces over him.

"I expect _like_ is a bit of an understatement," Scorpius admitted, his voice a little constricted.

"Well, if you come up to my flat, I might let you do more to my arse than just gawk at it," Al continued, his tone changing from sweetly demure to seductively sultry during the course of the sentence.

Scorpius glanced down at his watch. He still had half an hour until he needed to be home. Even so, he mentally cursed his father. It would be enough time, though; and it would certainly be better than nothing.

"I think I like the sound of that," Scorpius stated conspiratorially, grey eyes alight. He smirked sinfully, just the way he knew made Al go to pieces over him. Within ten seconds, Al had unlocked the door and pulled him through it by the hand.

The couple clamoured up three flights of stairs, Al still pulling Scorpius along behind him. When they reached the door to Al's flat, Scorpius said, "We'll have to hurry. I need to be home at eleven."

"I really hate your father," Al informed Scorpius matter-of-factly.

Scorpius felt relieved that Al hadn't flown off the handle at this news, and quickly agreed, "Yeah, I hate him at the moment, too; but we've still got a little bit of time. You know you make it difficult for me to last too long, anyway."

Al snickered softly at Scorpius's last sentence. "Such a self-deprecating observation, darling. How very unlike you." He unlocked the door to his flat with a nonverbal _"Alohomora"_ and lead Scorpius inside, locking the door again behind them.

"Oh, come on. What's that supposed to mean?" Scorpius protested in mock indignation. "I am _always _self-deprecating, and _never_ self-important. Anyway, you were supposed to contradict me. Now I just feel inadequate."

Al drew close to Scorpius and removed the blond's coat. He reached behind them and hung it up on the doorknob without turning away from, or taking his eyes off of, Scorpius. When he replied, his voice was low and enticing once more. "Oh, Scorpius, you are very many things, but _inadequate_ is definitely not one of them."

Scorpius fairly jumped Al at these words, hastily pushing him up against the wall next to his bed and devouring his lips. Al moaned softly into Scorpius's mouth at the highly welcome assault, and the two of them wasted no time in beginning to work together to remove each other's clothing. Scorpius already had hold of the hems of Al's cardigan and t-shirt, and Al raised his arms above his head to assist his yanking them off in one motion. Al then peeled off Scorpius's lightweight jumper, which came off with less resistance than his own clothing had, and tossed it onto the floor atop his own two shirts. Al felt slightly exposed, being bare-chested while Scorpius still had on all the essential elements of a presentable outfit; he worked to remedy this by feverishly unbuttoning Scorpius's dress shirt. Al laid wet kisses down Scorpius's pale chest as he worked one button after another loose. He then let out a needy whimper against Scorpius's toned stomach when Scorpius rubbed an open hand over the bulge in the front of his jeans, before moving to unbuckle his belt and unzip his flies for him. Scorpius gently slid Al's trousers down by way of caressing his arse, before shrugging out of his (now fully unbuttoned) shirt. Al kicked his jeans off of his ankles and over to the growing clothing pile while his tongue found its way back into Scorpius's mouth. Al's hands moved to undo Scorpius's belt and trousers now, and he was unable to restrain his hips from rutting into Scorpius's as he did so. The sudden friction caused Scorpius to let out a strangled cry as Al hastily pulled down his jeans.

At long last, Scorpius stepped out of his trousers, and the two of them were standing in the middle of Al's flat in only their pants. They just stood for a moment, snogging and groping with reckless abandon, Scorpius's hands gripping Al's arse cheeks, and Al fondling Scorpius's erection insistently through the fabric of his pants. Finally, once his breath was coming in laboured gasps in between kisses, Scorpius pulled Al down onto the bed behind them. The couple hit the mattress with a padded thumping sound, and they immediately scrambled to face one another. Scorpius threw an arm and a leg over Al and pulled him close against his body. He also somehow managed to slow their kiss considerably, pacing their mouths now to move in languid, deliberate passion, rather than eager, wanton need. Despite their time constraints, Scorpius wasn't looking for a quickie. This encounter needed to sustain them both for another week, if not longer, after all.

"Well, Al, now that we're finally all alone and nearly in the altogether, what shall we do to occupy ourselves? Any suggestions, darling?" Scorpius asked in a cheekily lascivious whisper as he broke their long kiss and moved to nip, lick, and suck his way down Al's neck. His hand, which had previously been tracing lazy circles over Al's naked back, had travelled a short distance downward to sensually stroke between Al's arse cheeks.

"I _suggest_ that you quit _t-teasing_ me, and have your way with- _mmmm_- with me," was Al's insistent, yet breathy and slightly muddled reply.

The words _"have your way with me"_ seemed to have a profound effect on Scorpius's previously semi-controlled libido, and he let out a lustful groan as he quickly moved his hands to the waistband of Al's pants. Al mirrored his motion, and with only a minor amount of difficulty, both Al and Scorpius had stripped each other of their last remaining article of clothing. Al hastily made to turn over onto all fours, but Scorpius caught him by the shoulder and stopped his movement.

"No, lay on your back; I want to be able to look into your eyes when you come," Scorpius explained to Al, his tone shifting from salacious confidence, and taking on an almost shy quality.

Al knew it had taken a sizeable dose of sentiment for Scorpius to admit this; and the words made his heart positively stop beating for a few significant moments. When he had recovered, though, the urge to gently tease Scorpius about his confession was just too strong to ignore. Besides, he knew his enraptured, faraway look would give away his true feelings, anyway. "Awww," Al crooned in a sardonically sugary tone. "My baby wants to _make love _tonight."

"Only because I know you so well, Albus Severus, do I feel secure in my assumption that that insensitive taunt was not an objection," Scorpius retorted back with a matching air of sarcasm, using Al's given name deliberately. "Say another word about it and I will _not_ be snuggling you afterwards."

Al snickered with a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, but indeed did not say another word. Scorpius didn't really give him an opportunity to, though, as not a second later he was situating himself in between Al's legs, and leaning down to kiss him with passionate intent. Scorpius and Al ground their hips together, seeking stimulation. Al reached one hand above his head to search behind his mattress for the small bottle of lube that he had hidden there. Upon locating it after a bit of blind fumbling, he pitched it lightly in Scorpius's general direction with a flick of his wrist. Scorpius somehow managed to expertly catch the bottle in one hand. He looked down at Al and raised a mischievous eyebrow.

"Eager, are we, sweetheart?" Scorpius asked his raven-haired lover, instinctively taking full advantage of this opportunity to playfully mock him.

Al wore a look on his face that plainly said something akin to, _"Fuck yes, so shut up and do your job already," _but rebutted back, almost defensively, "You're the one who's got us on a time limit! I'm just trying to ensure you're home on time tonight so your dreadful father doesn't have an apoplexy."

"Relax, babe," Scorpius shushed. "I was only being derisive, as usual. I should probably learn to control that, shouldn't I?" Al rolled his eyes in response, as if to say, _"Yeah right." _but Scorpius soothed him by running his hands up the insides of his thighs. Al sucked in a sharp breath at the light touch, as Scorpius continued speaking, "There's one last thing I've got to mention though, darling, before I get down to the happy business of preparing you; and that is this: if you expect me to be hard enough to fuck you anytime soon, _don't_ mention my father again."

Al giggled softly at Scorpius's words, but his light laughter turned swiftly to a pleasured gasp as Scorpius teased one slicked finger into his entrance.

"Oh, Merlin, Scorpius," Al breathed as his head fell back onto the pillow and his eyelids squeezed themselves shut.

Scorpius smirked as he thoroughly enjoyed the sight of Al panting beneath him. After a moment of staring, he removed his finger only to replace it with two, and he crooked them upwards to hit the spot within Al that made his brain unravel. Al began to writhe when Scorpius slowly moved his fingers in and out of him; and Scorpius knew watching his boyfriend had surely turned his smirk into a look of unconcealed, awed desire. Scorpius raked his fingernails sensually down Al's stomach and wrapped his hand around Al's cock. He began to stroke Al in time with the movements of his fingers inside of him; but when Al rutted his hips upwards and moaned Scorpius's name loudly, Scorpius found himself no longer able to ignore his own body's sexual desperation.

"I think I'll go mad if I'm not inside you within the next ten seconds. Are you ready?" He asked, already knowing what Al's answer would be.

"Oooh, _fuck,_ Scorpius. Yes, yes, _gods yes_," Al moaned in reply. "Take me, pl-please. Now."

Scorpius did not need telling twice. He swiftly slid his fingers out of Al and replaced them with his cock, easing into Al slowly until he was buried to the hilt. This caused both lovers to moan aloud in tandem, Al wrapping his legs around Scorpius's hips as the blond set a slow but steady pace within him.

"_Shite,"_ Scorpius uttered quietly. "Merlin, Al, you're _so_ _tight_. Feels. So.– _Nnnugh- _Amazing." He barely managed the words, speaking them through clenched teeth.

"At least there's– _aaah– _one good thing about us never getting to shag anymore," Al replied as his eyes opened to look into Scorpius's.

Al's words brought their current reality back into the situation a little more sharply than Scorpius would have liked, so he prevented Al from voicing any more thinly veiled complaints by leaning down and placing both hands on the sides of his face and kissing him deeply again. Scorpius nibbled on Al's bottom lip before attempting to force all rational thought from his boyfriend's mind by rolling his hips _just so_. Scorpius knew his efforts to distract Al had been successful when the boy beneath him thrust his hips upward to meet his quickening pace and threaded both hands into his hair, deepening their kiss.

"Ohhhh, yeah. _Right there, _Scorpius_._" Al groaned, breaking their kiss only for need of oxygen.

Scorpius buried his face into the niche of Al's neck and hungrily kissed his way down to his collarbone, leaving several pronounced love-bites in his wake. Al moaned deeply again as Scorpius sucked down on his clavicle and moved his hand between their bodies to take up stroking his cock once more, working his hand up and down it's length in time with his thrusts. Soon, Scorpius pulled back, taking his chest off of Al's and shifting his weight back onto his knees to give himself better access to Al's now leaking cock. From this position, he was able to thrust deeper into Al than when he had been lying on top of him, and Al responded to this by throwing his head back forcefully into the pillow and digging his nails into Scorpius's knees.

"Oh, oh, _oh, fuuuuck,_ Scorpius," Al cried out desperately. "There. Right there. Just don't stop. Don't st– I'm gonna –"

Al's every muscle tensed as his legs locked around Scorpius in a vice grip. Scorpius drove into him with what he knew would be one of his final thrusts, and he screwed up his face against the overwhelming pleasure that was building within him, biting down hard on his bottom lip. Al had his eyes shut tightly and he could feel his unruly hair clinging to his damp forehead and neck. He could feel Scorpius beginning to lose control, his pace becoming erratic within him; teetering on the verge of orgasm just as he was.

"Look at me," Scorpius panted above him with obvious effort. "Look at me, Albus."

Al ripped his hands from Scorpius's knees and brought them up to tangle in his lover's fine blond hair. He then forcibly peeled his eyelids back and held Scorpius's intense smoky gaze. A second later, Scorpius pulled Al's glasses off and haphazardly threw them over his shoulder; he didn't want anything to even remotely interfere with his view of those dazzlingly green eyes. Al's eyes rolled backward with Scorpius's next thrust, however, as he came with spectacular intensity all over his stomach and chest. The sight of Al's flushed face contorted in ecstasy, and the feel of his internal muscles clenching around him, was altogether too much for Scorpius; and he followed Al over the brink a split second later, throwing his head back as he came deep within Al.

The moment after his orgasm abated, Scorpius positively collapsed onto Al. The two of them were a panting, sticky, sweaty mess; the air around them smelled distinctly of sex, there was come on the blanket beneath them, and Al couldn't see too well, but none of this mattered at the moment. Scorpius pulled out slowly. He listened to Al's accelerated heartbeat with his ear pressed against his sternum, and placed a deliberate kiss onto Al's heated skin.

"I love you, Al," Scorpius uttered in a barely audible whisper.

"I love you too, Scorpius."

At Al's words, Scorpius drifted into an irresistible sleep.

_Two Hours Later_

A car alarm went off down on the street somewhere below Al's flat, bringing Scorpius out of his satisfied slumber. He had perhaps a second to feel content, drowsy, and discombobulated, before realization hit, and panic gripped him. His head flew off of Al's chest, which was still rising and falling evenly as he slept on. Scorpius turned his eyes to the clock on Al's wall, dreading what it would tell him.

"Oh, fuck," Scorpius murmured darkly as he shot into a sitting position, peeling himself off of Al's body entirely.

Al stirred as Scorpius moved quickly from the bed and cast a much-needed _Tergeo _Charm over the both of them.

"Get up, Al! We fell asleep, and now Father's going to kill me! I was supposed to be home at eleven. It's one in the morning!" Scorpius sounded as panicky as he looked, his voice beseeching. "Father is going to _kill_ me. He's going to _know_," he repeated in a distraught whisper, this time more to himself than to Al. "_Albus!_ Wake up!" He pleaded, shaking Al a little by one shoulder.

"Uuurrgh…Alright, alright. I'm up. What are you on about?" Al asked groggily, obviously a little slow on the uptake due to his just being shaken awake.

"We fell asleep, and Father is going to kill me," Scorpius repeated briskly, paraphrasing, as he pulled on his shirt.

"Oh, shit…it _is _one a.m., isn't it? …But why are you freaking out? I thought you could sneak into the manor." Al furrowed his eyebrows and stared at his boyfriend pointedly, as though he was reminding him of something obvious he had heedlessly overlooked.

"Not when Father is waiting up for me, I can't! He _knows_, Al. He always interrogates me whenever I come home after being out with you. Now he is going to _know _what I've been up to." Scorpius stated, wide eyed and stricken.

"_Finally,"_ Al wanted to say, but bit his tongue.

"This is it. I'm getting disowned and disinherited tonight," Scorpius muttered on, feverish. "Fuck, Al, where are my pants?"

"I tossed them over here, I think," Al replied, trying to remain collected, indicating the opposite side of the bed, "but slow down, babe. Relax. If your father's going to be _that_ angry, then why don't you just sleep here tonight? I mean, your father is a bit, well, crazy, and I don't want him to go spare on you. Tomorrow morning you can go home and talk to your mum while your father's at work, and she can make him see sense." This sounded like a perfectly logical plan to Al, and it came with the added benefit of having Scorpius sleep next to him tonight.

"No. No, no, no, no." Scorpius squashed Al's plan immediately after he had presented it. "As it is, Father's probably already assembling a search party to come looking for me. If I don't return until _morning_, he will really kill me. I'm talking _Avada Kedavra, _right there on the spot. He would then also know I had spent the night with you, too; what would that make him think?"

"Probably something relatively close to the truth?" Al asked delicately, eyebrows raised. Scorpius was alarming him; normally _he_ was the melodramatic one.

"Precisely," Scorpius concluded. "I have to go home. Now." He pulled on his pants and jeans hastily.

"Alright. Okay." Al agreed, accepting defeat. "But I'm Apparating back with you. Let me get dressed. Where are my glasses?"

Scorpius picked Al's frames up off the floor and mended one of the lenses (which had cracked when he had thrown them) hurriedly with his wand.

"They're here," he stated, offering them to Al with an outstretched hand. "But you can't Apparate back with me. I have to go straight away, and you're still naked."

Al sprung out of bed and threw on his t-shirt and jeans at that moment. He felt indignation rising out of the pit of his stomach. "You don't even care to say goodbye to me properly, do you?" He asked Scorpius accusingly. "You're so goddamn worried about what your father's going to think, whether he'll _know_ about us now, that you don't even care to say goodbye to me; you won't even be seeing me again for another week." Al had inherited his father's tendency toward overtly passionate, emotional reactions: overtly passionate, emotional reactions that some people would simply label as a quick temper.

"Al, _please _don't start. I _would _say goodbye to you properly, I would just do it here; but if it's that important to you, then fine, come with me. Just please hurry," Scorpius said, trying not to let his frayed nerves manifest themselves as annoyance toward Al. He crossed the room and grabbed his coat off the doorknob.

"I'm ready," Al said simply but crossly, and the two of them Apparated away.

Seconds later the couple materialized directly outside the gates of Malfoy Manor, in the exact location that they had started their evening. Al leaned in to kiss Scorpius goodbye, but was met with a pair of outstretched hands pushing into his chest, preventing his lips from making contact with any part of his boyfriend.

"Not here. Merlin knows Father is probably looking out the window for me," Scorpius hissed in a dire whisper.

"So now I can't even kiss you goodbye? I don't even get to kiss my boyfriend- who I will not be able to kiss again for a whole week- goodbye before I leave?" Al asked, his voice rising passionately.

"Not here...This is exactly why I didn't want you to Apparate back with me," Scorpius replied in an undertone.

"You didn't want me to Apparate back with you because you were worried that I'd try to _kiss_ you?" Scorpius had said the wrong thing. "Bloody hell. Well, _excuse _me, then. Excuse me for wanting one last kiss before I get to miss you all week…miss you while I'm all alone in my flat, wishing you could just be there with me. Wishing you felt the same as I do, wanted the same things. Wishing you missed me, too!"

"I _will_ miss you, Al. Shh, you're being ridiculous, and I have to go." Scorpius couldn't look at Al. He _hated_ when Al was angry with him, but he really _needed_ to get inside and face his father before it got any later.

"_Ridiculous?" _Al breathed in sheer indignation. Scorpius had once again put his foot in his mouth, and now the fat was really in the fire. "_I'm_ being _ridiculous_? Is it ridiculous for me to think you've got a pretty funny way of showing me you're going to miss me? We can't even say goodbye outside your house like any normal couple would, for god's sake! Is it ridiculous that I want you to care about _my_ feelings as much as you care about your stupid father's? Is it ridiculous of me to want you to quit acting like you're _ashamed_ of me?" Tears were springing into Al's eyes now. Scorpius looked completely disconcerted.

"_Ashamed_ of you? You think I'm _ashamed_ of you? Oh, Al, you have no idea, do you?" Scorpius asked in reply, sounding half vexed, half heartbroken.

"Maybe I don't, but how could I be expected to when you won't tell me how you're really feeling?" Al retorted back tearfully, wiping his eyes beneath his glasses and trying not to sob.

"I can't tell you how I'm really feeling because you always act like this," Scorpius whispered. He was dying to throw his arms around Al and tell him anything he wanted to hear, but the threat of his father seeing him prevented Scorpius from acting on his impulse.

"Fine. Fine, Scorpius; I'll be going now, then, but just so you know, I can't carry on like this with you forever. I can't keep driving myself to the brink of madness wondering if you feel the same way I do. I can't keep missing you week after week with no end in sight, waiting for you to be ready to come clean with your family. I'm sick of the sneaking around, and the hiding, and the secrets. Just know that if you really love me like you say you do, then one day you're going to have to choose between your father's happiness and your own happiness. He'll probably _never_ approve of our relationship, Scorpius, and eventually you're just going to have to choose: him or me? Until then, I just hope you can recognize that I love you _so much_, but that you're keeping me at an arm's length, and it's pushing me away. What has your father ever done to deserve this level of loyalty from you, anyway? You've never had _anything_ good to say about him in the more than seven years I've known you! Is his approval really worth so much to you that you're willing to jeopardize the health of our relationship for it? You know what, never mind, don't answer that; and also, don't owl me." Al paused momentarily for effect, or maybe it was so he could catch his breath.

Scorpius, meanwhile, looked as though someone had just hit him between the eyes with a Stunning Spell.

"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say," Al snapped at him, seething. Somehow, in his anger, he had mistaken Scorpius's shocked silence for indifference. "You'd better hurry up and go inside. You wouldn't want to keep your father waiting any longer. I'll see you in class." Al finished his tirade by turning and Apparating away without a moment's hesitation.

"No, Al, no! Don't– stop- wait!" Scorpius pleaded, panicking, finally coming to his senses, "…Come back." It was too late. Al was already long gone.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, there you have it, the first shit hits the fan!chapter. I hope you all enjoyed the smuttiness, followed by Al throwing his little tantrum. Stay tuned, because more angstyness is up ahead, courtesy of my asshole version of Daddy Draco (sorry, die-hard Draco lovers!). Anyway, as always, thanks a million for reading (and thanks a zillion if you read & review *nudges you*)! :D


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **JKR owns everything and everyone recognizable, I just rip them off for my own entertainment. I'm not making any money off of this.

**Warnings: **Slash pairing, angst, mature content in previous chapter/later chapter(s) (maybe...).

**Summary: **Scorpius and Al have survived their N.E.W.T.s and ridden the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross together for the last time. Now that their Hogwarts education is complete, Al is eager to start a life with Scorpius, but Scorpius is intent on holding onto his father's ever-elusive approval. How long can Scorpius keep Al happy while simultaneously keeping his father's growing suspicions at bay? Not as long as he'd hoped, that's for certain.

**A/N: **I added the above summary because I realized my original summary is pretty cryptic (i.e. useless); so I hope this one gives you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into here. X) This story can be read as a prequel to my other two stories, but definitely doesn't have to be. Mad props go to my amazing beta, lynxzpanther! Thanks for reading, everyone! :D

* * *

_Scorpius's Point of View_

Scorpius stood staring at the spot where Al had disappeared from for a long, protracted moment, sharp anxiety and misery rising in his chest with such intensity that it made him feel lightheaded. His immediate impulse was to follow Al, to Apparate after him back to his flat and convince him that he would make everything right, make everything _perfect_, if only he could give him time; but he knew Al didn't want to hear it. Scorpius knew he had finally done it, finally brought about his worst fear, finally pushed Al to the end of his tether. The time he had been borrowing from Al had finally run out.

Scorpius turned and walked through the wrought iron gates, feeling numb and far away from his body. He walked slowly up the gravel drive and felt positively sick to his stomach when he looked up at the manor before him and admitted to himself that another reason he hadn't immediately Apparated after Al was because of the inordinate amount of control his father possessed over his actions. Al was right about him. Al was right about everything. What _had_ his father ever done to deserve his loyalty? Suddenly, a hot fury towards his father gripped Scorpius, the feeling overwhelming him and surprising him because of its utter potency. He kicked the gravel beneath his shoe forcefully, sending several stones flying, and raked his hands through his hair, looking up at the stars. He wanted to turn and run back through the gates, to the end of the winding lane beyond; and never return. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs and wake everyone sleeping in the sickeningly sumptuous mansion looming over him. He wanted to sit under a tree and sob until he had no more tears left; but instead, he just balled his fists by his sides, squared his shoulders, and marched further down the drive.

Scorpius's internal voice of reason attempted to edge it's way into his consciousness, warning him not to act rashly; to calm down and wait for things to smooth themselves over; but Scorpius was tired of calming down and waiting, tired of being a bystander to his own existence. The tempest of spiteful anger that was raging within him quelled his usually foremost rationality as he walked up to the heavy wooden door of Malfoy Manor. Scorpius tapped his wand to the doorknob, bracing himself for whatever derision and shame his father might throw at him once he entered. He opened the door slowly, cautiously, but he immediately observed that he would not be able to escape this situation by simply sneaking into the house silently. He could see plainly from his position in the entrance hall that the door to the drawing room was standing ajar and that there was a fire lit in the grate. Nonetheless, Scorpius proceeded as quietly as he could down the hall, pausing momentarily to throw a nasty look at his Great-Grandfather Abraxas's portrait, which was sneering haughtily at his Muggle clothes. All too soon, Scorpius found himself drawing up next to the door of the drawing room. He attempted to tiptoe past unnoticed, but it was no use, of course.

"Scorpius." A controlled, yet noticeably scornful drawl carried into the hallway.

"Father?" Scorpius phrased his reply as a question, as though perhaps he was genuinely surprised that his father had been waiting up for him.

"Get in here at once," Draco demanded. Scorpius's stomach churned as he pushed the door fully open and entered the room. "Close the door," Draco continued in his deathly calm timbre. After Scorpius had obeyed, he swivelled in his high-backed, leather chair to face his son. He held a tumbler containing Scotch on the rocks in one hand, and was still dressed in his smart work robes, despite the fact that it was after one in the morning. His face was stony as he surveyed his only child. "You are inexcusably late," He observed.

"Oh, right. Sorry to worry you," Scorpius replied, evidently sarcastic as he displayed to his father the sneer he had inherited from him.

"Excuse me, Scorpius?" Draco questioned, raising a disapproving eyebrow as he detected his son's tone and facial expression.

"Well, that's why you're waiting up for me, right? Because you were worried about me; am I correct?" Scorpius persisted undeterred. It normally would take every ounce of courage he possessed to stand up to his father, but at the moment he was so angry, he hardly noticed he was doing it.

"Worried that you were out potentially defaming the Malfoy name, perhaps," Draco hissed, grey eyes cold and shrewd.

Scorpius wished he felt shocked by his father's words, wished that his father had sunk to a _new_ low with this statement, but chastisements of this nature were somewhat commonplace within the Malfoy household. Still, how was that for the pot calling the kettle black? His father had been a bloody _Death Eater_ by his age, for Merlin's sake! And now he was worried that _Scorpius _was potentially _"defaming"_ the Malfoy name? The hypocrisy of it all was maddeningly transparent, yet it was so very typical. Scorpius's anger peaked. "No, Father! I didn't ask you if you were worried about the Malfoy name! I asked you if you were worried about _me_! Your _only_ son," Scorpius nearly shouted, his father's words causing his temper to wash over him afresh. "Oh, that's right. I was forgetting; I'm not your son: I'm your _heir_," Scorpius spurned bitingly, shaking with rage.

"Not for long, if you don't adjust your tone. Now silence!" Draco threatened sharply, his own temper flaring obviously for the first time. Scorpius drew back at his father's harsh words and instinctively obeyed him. "Why are you wearing Muggle clothing?" Draco questioned, his voice a forced calm once again.

"Because I ate dinner in a Muggle restaurant," Scorpius explained, finding his voice, his nerve, and his sarcasm again all at once. "I would have been a bit conspicuous in robes, don't you agree, Father? I doubt very much if the Ministry would have approved."

"Sarcasm does not become you, Scorpius," Draco assessed.

"Really? Because Mother always said I got it from you," Scorpius countered with narrowed eyes.

Draco looked almost as though he wanted to attempt a smile, but he did not allow himself to. Instead, he ignored Scorpius's last pointed comment, and continued on with his questioning. "What were you doing out at this Muggle restaurant?" He asked.

"Eating, obviously!" Scorpius threw up his hands in an aggravated gesture.

"Enough cheek. You were not eating at a Muggle restaurant until one in the morning. Who were you with tonight?" Draco pressed, irritated.

Scorpius clenched his jaw, despising this inevitable turn in the conversation not only because he hated speaking about Al to his father, but also because thinking about Al at all at the present moment was acutely painful. "Al…Albus. You know, 'That Potter Boy,'" He answered, dejected. His father stared intently for a moment, looking as though he were sizing him up.

"You were out two hours past your curfew, until one in the morning, with Potter?" Draco asked, his tone icy and significant. He knew.

"Yeah, I was, but you don't have to worry about him _corrupting_ me anymore. He's told me not to contact him. In fact, he probably _hates_ me at the moment, and it's all because of _you_." Scorpius spat out the last word, his voice involuntarily catching in his throat with emotion.

Draco seemed to decipher the implications of his son's suddenly heightened sensitivity, and he took a long drink of his Scotch. "Scorpius, I scarcely dare ask, but what is the exact nature of your objectionable relationship with Albus Potter?" It was a rather despicable shame that the only true emotion Draco had shown throughout this whole conversation was apprehension, but it had indeed laced his voice during the utterance of his question.

Scorpius summoned every shred of resolve Al's angry soliloquy had left him with and made his life-altering decision in that moment. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the fallout before he had even spoken. "He's my boyfriend," he murmured, staring at the ornate carpet beneath his feet and trying to stop himself from trembling.

Draco's eyes grew wide as he set his glass down on the large, heavy table beside him with a resonating sound. He spun his chair to face away from Scorpius and stared into the fire. The silence in the room was momentarily stifling, until, "Get out."

"What?" Scorpius asked the floor in a terrified whisper.

"I said get out."

Scorpius turned on his heel and ran, throwing the door of the drawing room open with a _crash_ as it slammed into the wall it was hinged on. He positively flew through the hallway and up the vast, polished marble staircase, not slowing his furious pace until he had reached his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. He braced himself against his mahogany bed frame and breathed hard through his nose, winded from sprinting up the stairs, as well as from his sudden surge of adrenaline. His emotions overflowed, chasing each other through his body with such ferocity that they threatened to physically overtake him. He breathed deeply, willing himself to re-gain control, and forcefully quelled the feelings he could neither name nor confront at the present moment. Scorpius redirected his fury-crazed epinephrine rush by throwing himself into the task ahead of him, the task he needed to complete as quickly as possible.

Scorpius took his hands off the bed frame and moved swiftly across his room to where his Hogwarts trunk sat in the corner. He wrenched it open with more force than necessary and began extricating any of its contents that he would never need again. His old school robes and Slytherin tie were pitched over his shoulder, as were several of his textbooks and his telescope. His cauldron and other potion-making supplies were still conveniently packed away, as were several half-full bottles of ink and a couple of stray quills. Scorpius circled the room in his manic fervour, grabbing up his broomstick, current textbooks, and Gobstones set. He dumped them all unceremoniously into the trunk, before dragging it across the floor to sit in rough alignment with his desk. He proceeded to sweep everything laying atop his desk into the trunk below with one arm; parchment rolls, inkbottles, quills, and a photo album toppling downward. Scorpius pointed is wand at his wardrobe, and several pairs of shoes flew into the awaiting trunk, crushing the parchment rolls they had landed on. The trunk was now full, so Scorpius slammed its lid with a satisfying _thud_. Scorpius vaguely wished that his mother would hear him banging things about and come to investigate, but he knew his parents' bedroom was too far away, and the walls of the ancient manor much too thick, for her to be able to hear anything. She wouldn't have been able to convince him to stay, in any case, but she would have been able to hug him and tell him goodbye.

Now that his trunk was successfully packed, Scorpius dove under his bed and extracted a rather dusty, small navy blue duffel bag. He shook it a little before pointing his wand into it and casting an Undetectable Extension Charm. He carried the (now enchanted) bag over to his wardrobe and stuffed all of his clothing into it, hangers and all. This would normally have taken him quite some time to accomplish, but in his frenzied state he had finished the job within ten minutes. Then, for the first time since he had begun packing, Scorpius ceased movement and surveyed his now thoroughly dishevelled and half-emptied bedroom. He zipped up the duffel bag and threw it onto the floor beside his trunk, before walking around to the opposite side of his bed and pulling out the small drawer of his bedside cabinet. He lifted carefully from within the drawer a large stack of letters (most bearing Al's untidy script), and two photographs: one of his mother holding him as an infant, and the other of he and Al kissing on the Hogwarts Express during their final train ride home. Scorpius grabbed his school bag up off the floor and placed the photos and letters neatly inside before slinging it over his shoulder and walking to pick up the duffel bag. Finally, Scorpius bewitched his trunk to make it feather-light, held onto it by one handle, and Disapparated away.

* * *

**A/N:** I'll give you three guesses as to where Scorpius Disapparated to... ;)

So, I really didn't want to beg for reviews, but I'm going to try it this once, just to see if it works: ... **Please, please, _please_ review!** I honestly love receiving them, and they help inspire me to keep writing! I'd be delighted to hear **any** feedback you've got for me. :-D


	6. Chapter 4 and One Half

**Disclaimer: **JKR owns everything and everyone recognizable, I just rip them off for my own entertainment. I'm not making any money off of this.

**Warnings: **Slash pairing, angst, mature content in previous chapter/later chapter(s) (maybe...but probably not at this point).

**Summary: **Scorpius and Al have survived their N.E.W.T.s and ridden the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross together for the last time. Now that their Hogwarts education is complete, Al is eager to start a life with Scorpius, but Scorpius is intent on holding onto his father's ever-elusive approval. How long can Scorpius keep Al happy while simultaneously keeping his father's growing suspicions at bay? Not as long as he'd hoped, that's for certain.

**A/N: **I added the above summary because I realized my original summary is pretty cryptic (i.e. useless); so I hope this one gives you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into here. X) This story can be read as a prequel to my other two stories, but definitely doesn't have to be. Mad props go to my amazing beta, lynxzpanther! Thanks for reading, everyone! :D

* * *

_Al's Point of View_

Al's feet hit the floor post-angry Apparition much too forcefully, and his knees buckled beneath him. Luckily, he fell backward onto his soft bed, which was precisely where he wanted to be at the moment. Without even bothering to remove his shoes first, he curled up on top of his blanket and allowed himself to cry uncontrollably. His mind raced desperately as it struggled to comprehend everything that had happened. After several long moments of sobbing, Al finally took a few deep, shaky breaths and sat up, kicking off his shoes, abandoning his glasses on the bedside cabinet, and rubbing his eyes furiously. He felt utterly wretched. Now that he was removed from the situation and his acute outrage had subsided, he wasn't even sure whom he was angrier with anymore: Scorpius or himself. When Scorpius had rejected his kiss, he had just lost it. The indignation that had come over him had been overwhelming, and, as per usual, he had acted rashly without thinking.

"_But why," _Al thought miserably, biting down hard on his bottom lip to stop it from trembling. _"_Why_ do my emotions always insist on getting the better of me?_ _Why do I always have to act so needy and unglued?"_

Merlin, had he really threatened (albeit in a roundabout way) to break up with Scorpius if he didn't hurry up and come out to his father? Had he actually told him not to owl him? And, worst of all, had he honestly demanded that he one day choose him over his father? Al covered his face with his hands at the thought. What kind of person was he? Even though Scorpius's father was rather awful, that was still his _family_ he had asked him to give up. Scorpius probably hated him right now. Shame settled in the pit of Al's stomach, but even as it did, he realized that some (and perhaps most) of the things he had said to Scorpius were not only true, but had also been begging to be voiced for quite a while.

Two fat tears escaped from Al's eyes as he envisioned how Scorpius had just stood there, staring at him like he'd gone completely bonkers. Recalling this made his anger towards Scorpius swell slightly within him again, but more than that, it made him feel an all-consuming sense of regret. Now he had really done it. He had given Scorpius an ultimatum before he had even stopped to pay heed to the situation. How could he have been so stupid? Did he really think Scorpius would choose _him _over his family? Had he expected Scorpius to Apparate after him, begging him for forgiveness? Expected that he would march straight into the manor and tell his father everything, before proceeding to pack his things and Apparate to his side? No, the idea was laughable. Scorpius was nothing like him; he didn't act without thinking, he didn't indulge reckless impulses. He was never one to throw caution to the winds and pay no attention to potential consequences. On the contrary, Scorpius thought things through, he weighed pros and cons, he worried about repercussions, and he took risks when only something was too important to ignore.

"_And I'm just not that important," _Al thought despondently, eyes brimming over once again. _"Scorpius knows I'll always come back. He knows he can drag this out as long as he wants. He knows he could keep me his dirty little secret _forever_…that I would _never_ be able to leave him."_

Al had a sudden vision of Scorpius cheating on some faceless, pure-blooded wife with him in a dingy, hourly-rate Muggle hotel. He would take his wedding ring off to shag him; he would promise him that he had never loved his wife, that he had only married her to appease his father, to uphold tradition, and that he would leave her for him one day, if he could just be patient a little while longer…. Al squeezed his eyes shut against this most disturbing prospect and hugged his knees tightly to his chest, shaking with repressed sobs.

"_Stop it!" _Al demanded of his imagination. _"Scorpius would _never _do that to me! Scorpius_ loves_ me! He would never get married to some random witch just because his family wanted him to."_

Al wished he had been able to totally convince himself, but he still felt physically sick as he reclined to stretch out onto his back. Upon doing so, he unconsciously looked up at the wall behind him and immediately wished he hadn't. More than a dozen happy Scorpiuses smiled adorably above him from their photos. Al swiftly reached one hand backward over his head at a sudden urge to rip the pictures down, but he faltered before making contact with the wall. He couldn't do it. Instead, he opted to avert his eyes by rolling over onto his side. He drew his knees into his torso once more, assuming his original position on the bed, and again did not attempt to quell the silent tears that were now rolling down his face to dampen the pillow beneath him.

Throughout all of his crying and thinking, Al had foolishly, it seemed, held onto a small glimmer of hope that Scorpius would be Apparating into his flat at any moment to come put things right between them. As the minutes wore on, however, that hope was slowly extinguished. Al just lay there on his bed indulging a miserable jumble of negative emotions; for how long, he didn't know. He seemed to disconnect himself from the concept of time, lost to his thoughts, his emotions moving along a never-ending continuum from sorrowful, to angry, and then back again. He wished he had a Dreamless Sleep Potion close at hand, or that Lily was there to console him, or that Scorpius would owl him, despite his having told him not to. He thought about getting up to send Lily a letter, but he didn't feel like moving; he just continued to lay there, crying ceaselessly and silently, enumerating to himself all the reasons he hated Scorpius, and then all the reasons he adored him. His flat was peacefully quiet and seemed strangely serene when contrasted with the internal turmoil he was currently experiencing. He might have lain there sniffling until he finally fell asleep, if not for the next swift turn of events.

Suddenly, the perfect silence was rent as a loud _pop, thud, wham _sounded within the tiny flat. Al nearly jumped out of his skin, scrambling into a sitting position and groping next to his mattress for his wand, squinting slightly in the direction of the disturbance. Even without his glasses, Al could recognize that tall, blond figure anywhere. Scorpius, a trunk, and a duffel bag had just Apparated sloppily into the side of his bookshelf. Scorpius let out a surprised yelp and flailed his arms wildly, just managing to remain upright. He took a few seconds to find his balance again, hopping a little on the spot, before turning to face Al.

Al, who had put his glasses back on whilst Scorpius had been grappling with gravity, saw the slight blush rising in Scorpius's cheeks; but what really caught his eye was the fraught expression on his face and the deep distress etched into his eyes.

"S-Scorpius! What's wrong? What're you doing here?" Al spluttered, shocked and concerned yet also undeniably relieved.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Scorpius stated, pushing the shelf he had nearly upended back to its proper alignment with the wall. He pointed his wand at the fallen books, which rose off the floor and situated themselves into their original places. "You've been crying." He now looked up from the books and surveyed Al with remorseful, attentive worry, but still did not answer his prior questions.

"It's alright; and of course I've been crying," Al admitted in a dismissive tone, wiping his face and ignoring the embarrassment he felt at how dishevelled he must look. "But forget about that now. What's happened? You look like you've just seen a Dementor. And why have you got your trunk with you?" Maybe it was the lingering vestiges of shock after Scorpius's startling entrance, but Al could not understand what he would be doing here, now, at two a.m.; never mind why he might be looking so stricken or why he had brought luggage with him. Al was utterly confused.

"I chose," Scorpius replied simply, his voice monotonic as he locked eyes with Al and conveyed his meaning that way.

"You…_what_?" Al's eyes grew wide as he finally registered the significance of Scorpius's words. He couldn't possibly mean it, could he?

"I chose, Al. I chose _you," _Scorpius whispered in confirmation, holding Al's gaze.

"You- you don't mean…you _chose_ me?" Al asked, looking perplexed, voice hopeful and worried all in the same breath.

"Why do you sound so surprised, Al?" Scorpius's voice was low and he sounded crestfallen.

"And, and…your father, he didn't? ...Oh, Merlin, no, Scorpius he didn't…"

Al overlooked Scorpius's question as he stammered on, his brain still continuing to catch up with the situation. He suddenly understood why Scorpius had brought his trunk and a duffle bag. "…He didn't kick you out, did he?" Al managed to finish his sentence after a moment's pause, surveying Scorpius through guilt-stricken eyes. He had never meant for this to happen, not really, not like this; oh, god, now Scorpius's father had kicked him out, and it was entirely his fault.

"I dunno," Scorpius replied emotionlessly, shrugging. "I didn't take the time to ask him exactly what he meant by 'get out'."

"This is all my fault." Al looked as though he might start crying again. Noticing this, Scorpius divested himself of his school bag and moved to sit down on the bed next to him.

"Your fault? How could my father's reaction possibly be your fault?" Scorpius asked. His voice still sounded blank and somewhat distant, as though he were attempting to replace too many emotions with none at all.

"Scorpius, you know what I mean!" Al prompted, voice betraying his fretful remorse. "If I wouldn't have pressured you into telling him, he wouldn't have had anything to react to. You obviously knew he wouldn't take the news well, and you didn't want to tell him, but I coerced you into it. I _made_ you tell him, Scorpius, and now he's gone and kicked you out, and you should probably hate me for it."

"He might have done it anyway, Al; I was two hours late in coming home, remember? The only thing you _made_ me do was finally see sense; don't even bother suggesting that I should hate you, either, because it's pointless: I never will. You were right, Al. My father doesn't deserve my loyalty. He's never really cared about me. All he cares about is 'the Malfoy name' and 'the Malfoy line', whatever the hell that even means. He didn't approve of me even before tonight, and now…" Scorpius's voice, which had finally risen with pent-up emotion, hitched mid-sentence. Al caught of a glimpse of his grey eyes filled with tears before he quickly turned and looked away.

"Scorpius, look at me," Al whispered gently, turning Scorpius's face back toward his own with an outstretched hand.

Scorpius did not resist Al's gesture, but met his gaze steadily as a single tear rolled down his cheek. Al reacted instantaneously by pulling Scorpius into a tight embrace, stroking his silky, platinum hair as he felt him surrender his composure and begin to sob. Al couldn't recall ever seeing Scorpius cry before and it now struck him how very odd that was. Scorpius had always just seemed so nonchalant and well adjusted, totally unperturbed by everything. Had it all been a front? Why had he never questioned before now whether Scorpius was repressing his emotions? He had never taken the time to _really _talk to him about the problems he had with his father. He had been so caught up in his own feelings that he hadn't ever stopped to truly consider Scorpius's. Now Scorpius had inflicted possibly irrevocable damage to his relationship with his father and Al felt personally responsible. Perhaps he should have taken Scorpius seriously when he had made comments about being disowned and disinherited. Perhaps he should have considered that Scorpius might have a legitimate reason to want to hide their relationship from his father.

Scorpius sniffled a little against Al's shoulder and Al felt him inhale a deep, calming breath. Al kissed him on the top of the head as the worst of his racking sobs subsided. Scorpius shifted his face to one side so he was able to speak, but did not draw back from the comfort of Al's warm body and protective hug.

"An-anyway," he continued in a shaky voice that was quite different form his usual poised tone, "Father has _never_ approved of me, so it's not as though me finally telling him about us has brought about some calamitous change with regard to the way he feels about me. I know you're worrying about whether you've prompted me into doing something to ruin my relationship with him, but truth be told, there wasn't much there to ruin. I've _never_ been good enough for him, Al. _Never_. The _only _time I can _ever _remember him actually telling me he was proud of me was in a letter; the letter he wrote back to me after I owled him to tell him that I had gotten into Slytherin. I still have that letter, too, because I'm just that pathetic; tangible evidence, I suppose, that at one point in time, even just for a moment, I was worth praising." Scorpius's voice broke again and Al ran a soothing hand down his spine.

"Other than being in Slytherin, though," Scorpius continued after a few moments, finding his voice again, "I think I've just turned out to be a total disappointment to him. Nothing I did was ever good enough. I could never do anything right. When I made the Quidditch team, he was just disappointed that I wasn't picked for Seeker. I was _second_ out of our entire fucking class, but, wouldn't you know, I shouldn't have let 'that Weasley girl' beat me for first. When I got accepted into Healer training, the owl back from Father was all about how I would do better if I was going into the Ministry. I could go on and on with examples. I was never enough of a Malfoy for him. I've always been too much like Mother, I suppose. I think he feels that because he did everything his parents wanted him to do, now I must owe him the same courtesy; but I can't do it, Al. I _won't_ do it. I wasn't going to choose my friends at Hogwarts based on their blood-status or their surname. I wasn't going to pursue a career I didn't really want because Father and Grandfather wanted me to be in the Ministry. I sure as hell never had _any_ intentions of marrying some random, pure-blooded witch because my grandparents know her grandparents. And, most importantly, I refuse to lose you for the sake of appeasing my father. I sought his approval my entire life, and I _never_ got it. Well, tonight I guess I was just done seeking something I knew I wouldn't find."

Al was the one with tears in his eyes now. He had known Scorpius's father was old-fashioned, strict, pretentious, emotionally unavailable, and had held a grudge against his own father, but he had had no idea that he treated Scorpius this way; worse yet, that he had _always_ done so. Al felt absolutely awful on numerous levels and found himself completely at a loss for words. After several moments of simply hugging Scorpius so tightly that it probably hurt, he finally managed to speak.

"Scorpius, why didn't you tell me any of this?" Al whispered sadly.

"I don't know. I didn't think you would understand, I guess. Your father is _so_ different from my father. Your father's like a _real_ father, you know? He cares about you and accepts you no matter what you do. He thinks you're brilliant, and he supports you, and he's just a decent person in general. Well, actually, he's _better_ than decent- he's _Harry Potter_, for Merlin's sake- but you know what I mean. Spending summers with your family allowed me see how a father is supposed to treat his child, and that's _nothing_ like how my father has always treated me. I suppose I just assumed that because you had grown up so differently, you couldn't possibly understand what I was going through." Scorpius looked up at Al. Al felt a pang of fresh remorse when he met Scorpius's eyes and realized that indeed he _couldn't _truly understand what it must be like to have a father like Scorpius's.

"I also just didn't know how to tell you, either," Scorpius continued. "I was so afraid that you would be angry with me, or that you would think I was just making excuses not to live with you, so I avoided the topic altogether, and I'm sorry. I should have talked to you sooner. I shouldn't have allowed you to feel like I was keeping you at an arm's length or like I didn't miss you. I should never have compromised our relationship because of my father. You deserve better than that. I'm so sorry, Al."

"No, Scorpius, _I'm _sorry. I was being so selfish. I had no idea all of this was going on. I just thought you were nervous about telling him, so you were dragging it out as long as possible. I never would have acted like such a whiney little git if you had told me about all of this. I would have been patient for you. I feel terrible now."

"You weren't acting like a whiney little git; quit feeling terrible. Like I said before, you were right. You were right about _everything_. My father doesn't deserve my loyalty, you do. You're the only person, apart from Mother, who has always been there for me. I know you love me for who I am- who I _really_ am- and that's more than I can say for my father. He doesn't even know me." Scorpius's eye welled again, but he blinked the tears away and continued speaking. "Don't feel guilty about me telling my father because of you, either. You were right about that, too: he isn't going to approve of us and I did need to choose my happiness over his. It was inevitable. You made me realize so much tonight, Al. I won't make the same mistakes again. I'm going to show you that I care about your feelings, and we're not going to hide anything anymore... and Al?"

"Hmm?"

"I was _never _ashamed of you, _never_. I promise. I've missed you so much since we left Hogwarts; I guess I just didn't know how to show you. I was so afraid that I'd lost you when you Apparated away tonight that it finally gave me the courage to confront my father. I don't know how I could ever live without you, Al, especially knowing that you'd been mine but that I'd caused you to leave. I feel like you've always been a part of me, like you're _it_, like you're the only one that could ever make me feel this way. I know maybe that sounds mental, but it's the truth. I've just got to stop fighting it and-"

"-And realize that you're stuck with me." Al finished Scorpius's sentence for him, grinning rapturously, eyes full of emotion. Scorpius had said it; he felt it, too. He thought Al was the only one for him. All of Al's worries faded as he tilted his head down and kissed Scorpius deeply. He tried to convey through the kiss everything he was feeling, because he had no idea how to even begin putting it all into words. After quite a few blissful seconds, the couple broke apart, and Scorpius straightened up.

"So, does this mean you forgive me?" Scorpius asked sweetly, smiling for the first time since he had arrived back at Al's flat.

"Only if you'll forgive me, too," Al offered him, returning his loving smile.

"I was never angry with you, for the record, but since you seem to be convinced that you must have done something wrong: yes, I forgive you," Scorpius replied, his slightly sarcastic air returning. "Uh, and Al," he went on, his voice faltering again, "I packed up all of my things and left the manor without really planning ahead…do you think maybe…I could stay here with you for a while?"

Al clapped a hand to his forehead. "Scorpius! For a while? Try forever! I'm not letting you leave!"

"Alright, alright, I suppose forever could work, too," he agreed, a slow grin spreading across his features. "What about your parents, though? What'll they say?" he asked, smile fading slightly. He sounded apprehensive as he remembered this possible obstacle.

"I'm going to Mum and Dad's for dinner on Sunday. Don't worry, I'll talk to them. They'll understand," Al reassured him. He wasn't exactly sure what he would say to his parents, now that he thought about it, but he felt certain that they would come through for him in the end, just as they always had.

"You can tell them I'll pay half of the rent, obviously. I'll begin looking for a job tomorrow," Scorpius quickly offered once Al had finished speaking.

"Relax, stop fretting. Everything is going to work out. My parents can easily afford this place. I don't think it's a good idea for you to be working _and_ going to Healer training. Training is so very demanding. We've got hours of homework every single night. Anyway, we'll talk more tomorrow about details, but right now I think I need to go to bed. It's nearly half past three, and it's been one hell of a night."

"You can say that again," Scorpius agreed, raising his eyebrows and moving from the bed to open his duffel bag. Al saw his arm disappear inside the bag up to his shoulder, before he extracted a pair of soft looking green pyjama trousers. Scorpius caught Al's shocked expression as he reached into the depths of the bag again, this time searching for a t-shirt.

"Undetectable Extension Charm," Scorpius explained, hastily changing into his pyjamas.

"Isn't that charm really, really difficult?" Al asked. He had never attempted it himself, thought he remembered his dad mentioning it at some point while recounting his war adventures. Aunt Hermione had used it on a handbag, or something like that.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't second in our year for nothing," Scorpius quipped, smirking.

"Always self-deprecating and never self-important, eh?" Al reminded him of his earlier assessment, rolling his eyes as he swapped his own clothing for pyjamas.

"That's me," Scorpius agreed, his smirk widening into a grin.

"Come to bed," Al instructed, patting the mattress next to him and snuggling under the blankets. Scorpius complied, wrapping his arms around Al and kissing him goodnight.

"I love you, Al. Sweet dreams." Scorpius whispered softly, as Al turned the lights off with a wave of his wand.

"I love you, too, Scorpius. Welcome home."

* * *

**A/N:** Well, as my wonderful beta said in response to this chapter, "...doesn't talking make things so much better?". Evidently, yes. Yay for Scorpius and Al finally getting their communication on! Ahh, anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the sobbing followed by the fluffiness. I _could_ end this story here, but I think I've still got a couple more chapters left in me...I want to get Al's family in on the fun a little before I finish it off. 8D

**Reviews=Good karma. We could all use a little good karma, now couldn't we? *Pointed stare* :)**


End file.
